Friday Five

1. Love, Simon: when my niece was in town last week I asked her if there were any movies she wanted to see. She said she wanted to see Love, Simon, which opened last Friday. After checking with my sister to make sure she was okay with me taking her 11-year-old to a PG-13 movie, we (along with my husband and my mom) went to see it…and we all really enjoyed it! It was so heartwarming to see a mainstream movie about a gay kid coming out, and I’m happy to have supported the film by seeing it in the theater. Vote with your wallet, folks.

2. Fargo: my husband and I finished watching the second season of this FX show this week and man…it is so great. Some of the episodes induce Breaking Bad-levels of stress, but in the most enjoyable way. The cast is a powerhouse of talent, from Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons (LANDRY!!) to American treasure Ted Danson and the lesser-known but no-less-excellent actors Bokeem Woodbine and Zahn McClarnon. Now we wait for season three to come out on Hulu…

3. Natch Beaut: I’m continually discovering new podcasts, but I hadn’t even thought to seek out any about beauty. I somehow recently stumbled upon the Natch Beaut podcast, and though I’ve only listened to a few episodes so far I’m totally into it. Host Jackie Johnson is a Texan with a HUGE personality, and I find her hilarious to listen to. She brings in great guests to talk all things beauty, including Gabriella Ruiz (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and Georgia Hardstark (My Favorite Murder). I’ve already learned a lot from the few episodes I’ve listened to. Jackie is into cruelty free, vegan beauty products, and from her I learned that if a brand wants to sell in China, it’s REQUIRED to test its products on animals first. What?! Consider my eyes opened.

Image credit: @natchbeaut Instagram

4. Multi-Masking: I’m still working my way through that Sephora Holy Sheet mask set! This week I decided to do another morning of multi-masking. First I used the TONYMOLY I’m Real Luminating Sheet Mask (not from the mask set), followed by simultaneous use of the Sephora Collection Algae Eye Mask and the Sephora Collection Shea Lip Mask. I have never used a lip sheet mask before, and it looked SO CREEPY (which might be my favorite thing about using sheet masks). Honestly, I did not see any effect from the lip mask. I did feel like my skin looked a little brighter after the full face sheet mask. I’m not totally sold on eye masks, though I don’t use them with enough regularity to see any results.

5. Cork Wine Bar: my husband and I had a double date here the other night and liked it a lot. This is actually the wine bar that sued President Tr*mp (not that I think the lawsuit will go anywhere, but I appreciate the effort). We ordered a bunch of different items to share, including cheese and charcuterie, avocado toast, and sauteed mushrooms, but for me the standout was this butternut squash flatbread with honey, goat cheese, and red onions. I would go back and order that as my dinner! The wines were great too. I definitely want to return sometime.